Akita Rescue of Western NY, Inc. is a non-profit, charity organization that covers the northeast USA. ARWNY helps with saving & rehoming Akitas in need, as well as offering advice with health, nutrition, temperament and training of Akitas everywhere! Of course, we don't take the place of great vets or wonderful trainers/behaviorists but we are willing to help in any way we can!

Monday, December 28, 2009

The madness never ends...

I can't believe the Eagles, my local football team, voted Michael Vick as the 2009 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award

Now, even if you take my feelings about anyone who fights dogs out of this discussion, you have to still wonder WHY Vick was given this award especially given his cowardice in handling his whole life up to NOW?

Can anyone tell me what courage it took for him to don a uniform, take a million dollars and go back to playing the sport he wants to play without ever really apologizing or taking measures to make amends for what he did? Yes he went to jail -- on racketeering charges. He went to jail -- and was treated like a hero while in there because he was a STAR and people in jail didn't take what he did to be anything that horrible. He should be made to spend the next 50 yrs of his life having to give 2 days a week at a shelter picking up poop and washing dogs as an addition to his punishment.

I mean really -- how courageous was it to go back to playing football? In fact, he should have had to pay the Eagles to take him on as a player, considering the harm he did to his former team and the slap in the face he gave to the NFL Commissioner when he bold-faced lied to him about not having anything to do with dog-fighting -- its obvious that TEAMWORK and LOYALTY mean nothing to this man. And shouldn't an award about courage in the face of adversity be adversity you didn't cause YOURSELF by being selfish, greedy and vicious?

Take away my outrage over the dogs he killed, maimed and tortured. How about how he lied to his teammates, tried to pass the blame on to other people; how about the shame he bought to his fellow players, his family, to the sport of football itself? And how about his acceptance speech for this award -- still all about ME ME ME and I, I, I -- the other teams' award winners gave wonderful speeches about what team spirit and helping others meant to them -- Vick instead said "I've had to overcome a lot, more than probably one single individual can bear." All of your making Vick, no one's fault but your own!

And more about ME ME ME: "Take a look at what I've been through. You ask certain people to walk in my shoes, they probably couldn't do it -- probably 95 percent of the people in this world. Because nobody had to endure what I've been through.."The arrogence, the selfishness of his comments show he hasn't changed at all, has no remorse for what he did and the same smugness is still part of his personality. No humility at all.

I know football players aren't known as the smartest group of people -- but come on, surely a whole team should have had more sense than to vote for this loser to win this award. There had to be so many better options!

Once again, I am ashamed of the Eagles. First for bringing him to my hometown; second for making a hero of him by giving him an award for courage -- a word that should not be used in the same sentence as the name Michael Vick.

One small victory that does make me happy however -- the passing of tougher dog fighting laws here in NJ:

About ARWNY and a bit about me

Nancy Lamm & Lynny Benzinger helped start ARWNY way back in 1996 but both were doing rescue since the late 70s; I started doing Akita Rescue in '86 first w/ ARSA, then w/ DVAR.
Joining ARWNY in '99 as VP/Director, I helped to expand ARWNY's territory over the next few yrs, from covering Western NY to almost the entire NE USA with the help of many wonderful volunteers! Over the years, I have watched the idea of rescue grow from a small, little-known concept to a source of pride & achievement within the Akita community; I'm proud to have been a part of this growth. I learned how to do rescue correctly by helping & volunteering, taking advice from fellow rescuers in Akitas & other breeds, as well as learning everything I could from wonderful Akita breeders & show people along the way.
I am proud of the work we do in ARWNY -- we have wonderful volunteers & supporters so it makes our work meaningful in so many ways!!
I currently reside w/my daughter Jenn, who is also part of ARWNY, & our newest adopted Akita Zeus, who came to us when our beloved BaeBae went "over the Rainbow Bridge" recently.

Video For JuJu & all abused Akitas

ARWNY ADOPTER VIDEO

ARWNY PICNIC VIDEO

Akita Club of America National Show

Some of our great adopters at the ACA Parade!

WELCOME TO ARWNY'S BLOG!!

Hopefully you will find this blog helpful in understanding the work rescue does in saving Akitas. The joy, the heartbreak, the decisions we all have to make when trying to save the lives of Akitas in peril. My hope is that you will realize how much time & effort goes into saving even just one Akita, let alone the many that ARWNY does save. Its wonderfully rewarding work but filled with heartbreak & dispair when we don't have room to help save Akitas in need or get involved with a puppymill situation, or take in a very ill, sick Akita like Wish, like Ben. We realize we can't save them all -- but we hope by reading this blog, you will all realize that we do a tremendous amount of work in saving those we are able to rescue!!